Nutritional therapy is an important component of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), which runs through the entire patient process, including before admission, during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods, and after discharge. As a special group, patients with cancer have particularities in their metabolic processes. Understanding the metabolic characteristics of patients with cancer and then carrying out targeted nutritional therapy is of great clinical significance for accelerating their postoperative recovery. This article briefly summarizes the metabolic characteristics and nutritional therapy strategies for patients with cancer during the perioperative period to provide guidance on the clinical practice of ERAS.